Owners: boat didn't boost business

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile prepped for Triumph's arrival into the Port City on Thursday ready to greet more than 4,000 passengers and crew with southern hospitality.

The Triumph's defeated float into the port of Mobile brought the national spotlight to the city, but did it help local business?

Owners and workers and some downtown restaurants say no, not at all.

“We had extra staff come in, we had extra food prepared and it was a bust,” said co-owner of LoDa Biergarten, Matthew Golden. “None of the guests came; they either got in a hotel room or got in a bus a left. Over the past couple of days, we’ve had some of the staff from the cruise ship come in but nothing significant.”

Golden said the increase of people actually resulted in a loss.

A few hundred dollars, he said, “Nothing massive but, at the same time, it was hyped up like we were going to have a lot of people.”

More than 4,000 passengers and crew members were aboard the disabled Carnival Cruise ship as it was towed into Mobile Bay. The ship lost power after an engine fire in the Gulf of Mexico a week ago Sunday.

Photos: first look at Triumph's conditions

At Heroes Bar and Grill, servers said they saw 10 to 20 families from various parts of Texas in Mobile waiting to pick up family members from the ship, but not enough business was brought in to make a difference.

“I think business would have been way better if they had booked hotels, if they had let the passengers stay in Mobile it would have helped Mobile out greater,” said a server a Heroes Bar and Grill, Sarah Reynolds.  

Carnival once docked in Mobile but pulled out in March of 2011 because, company officials said, Mobile didn’t meet Carnival's financial needs.